Last week a friend of mine was worrying about tagging things with the label “best,” because she hasn’t read everything, and what if she has missed things that are best-er than the things she currently thinks are best? And: look. No one has read everything. But it is okay to just say: here are some things I like. In fact, it’s great. Pointing out things you like is a good thing! Then other people can find out if they like them too! Everyone wins! So if the thing you like now turns out to be only in your top twenty-seven favorite stories of 2015 instead of your top ten, because you will later read seventeen favorite-er stories–oh darn! Twenty-seven favorites! How sad for everyone!

Fire Rises, by Alec Austin (Beneath Ceaseless Skies) – I critiqued this story in draft form, so I feel like I shouldn’t brag on it, but oh how I want to, because it’s so much fun. Artificial satellites to alter astrological systems! Pyromancy and empire! Magic adventure dooooooom!

Glaciers Made You, by Gabby Reed (Strange Horizons) – This story goes across the middle and west of the northern part of the United States in a very magical realist way, and that made me feel comfortable and unsettled and sad and happy all at once.

I am pleased to see reactions to 'Glaciers Made You', as it is the first story I have picked out of the slush, not knowing the author in any way, and then gotten to shepherd all the way through the editing process. Some other stuff I've edited has been published, and some other stuff I've picked, but I've either come in later or handed the stories off to somebody else; this one the other editors signed off on and we all figured out where to fit it in the schedule and anything else editorial I did, and it's the first time that's happened. It came in as a great piece and I think it's only gotten better, and I feel very proprietorial, despite it being honestly all Gabby.

'20/20' is pretty boss too, the first time travel piece I've seen in a while that I didn't feel as though I'd already read before reading it.